This invention relates to a spirit stove or the like comprising a fuel container having an opening through which fuel is poured to fill the container and through which the fuel combustion by-products leave during burning, a burner tube which is placed above the opening, and a flame spreader which is situated above the burner tube.
Stoves of the kind described are well known and have been widely used as camping stoves in boats and campers. On up-to-date stoves the fuel container holds an absorbing mass for the fuel to keep the fuel in the container if the container is tilted or is turned upside down. The fuel evaporates during burning from a free surface of the absorbing mass, the free surface being located at the opening of the container. The container is filled by removing it from the remaining parts of the stove after which the fuel is poured directly into the opening to fill the container containing the absorbing mass.
Of course, it is of greatest importance from a safety point that any remaining flames are not present on or in the container when it is filled with fuel. This can easily be established when the container is separated from the stove. When the fuel container, however, is mounted at its usual position within the stove, and the container opening is partly hidden behind other parts of the stove, it is difficult to observe any remaining flames. Since the free surface of absorbing mass in the fuel container has to be accessible from the upper side of the stove for proper ignition of the fuel, a vertical passage is formed by the burner tube which might tempt the operator to fill the fuel container from above directly down into the container opening. If in such a case a remaining flame exists in the fuel container an accidental fire might easily occur. In order to reduce the risk for such an accident, there are warning texts in the manual as well as on the stove against filling the fuel container when it is in its operating position within the stove. In spite of this, accidental fires still occur because of improper fueling as noted above.
It is common to use a so called "flame spreader" on spirit stoves, the spreader being placed above the flame at the top of the burner tube. The purpose of these flame spreaders is to achieve a better burning of the fuel and hence less odor. The flame spreader also decreases the creation of soot and limits the extension of the flame in the height direction. The flame spreader usually comprises a metal plate having several holes and is placed immediately below the cooking pan. Such a flame spreader has been so arranged that it can easily be turned aside or be completely removed in order to expose the opening of the underlying fuel container to facilitate fuel ignition.
The purpose of this invention is to provide a spirit stove wherein it is impossible or at least difficult to fill the fuel container when it is in its operating position in the stove, while at the same time allowing fuel ignition in the traditional way by means of a special igniter or by means of a match.